I personally don't use mojos because I don't think they are a big enough advantage to justify carrying the extra weight. I do use a jerk line anytime the wind is slack. I have hunted in Washington State and New Zealand where they used pull string spinners. They use them because motorized decoys are banned. Point is making motorized decoys illegal won't stop people from using other types of motion decoys.

I've watched the use of these things since day one. The 3rd year after watching "my ducks" veer off to another spread a few hundred yards away to other hunters finally convinced me to buy a couple. Old school mentality succumbed to...."I gotta have one of those things!" I've gone through about a dozen motorized types, and still have 3 working ones in the garage. Some have sounded like old pump-jacks but the bird never seemed to mind.

I learned that I can't use them here in WA after just moving here about a year ago. They served a purpose whether the switch was turned on or off in the spread while hunting in TX and LA. I'm just tickled that me and my hunting buddies never accidently shot one over the years.

From what I gather there is ongoing debate about motorized decoys every year here in WA Fish & Game. Maybe I need to attend those meetings to figure out the state's justification. Will probably get stopped at the door of the meeting since it takes a Master's degree to figure out the hunting or fishing regs fully around these parts. Sigh...

Its the same here..just about getting to where we will need a legal aide to interpret the digest book.Wish like hell they would set the rules and then leave them alone.
When I buy my wife's license and mine. Its like sitting on a telephone book..loll
My opionion is that the motorized contraptions are doing in the Juvenile birds...unless someone can convenience me other wise.. I will not ever own one.

It's very unfortunate when hunting and fishing regulations are based on emotions, attitudes and opinions instead of science.
Texas comes the closest I've seen to getting it right.

If regulations are put in place restricting "how" I hunt with no "game management" justification; there is no end to where it would stop. It becomes very easy at that point for the anti-hunting crowd to inflict their influence and ultimately achieve their goals - regulations so arbitrary and cumbersome that no one wants to hunt.
If motorized decoys are outlawed, why not limit the total number or decoys ? why not outlaw game calls ? maybe your camo pattern is to good and we should all have to wear red shirts and hats ? sending a dog into cold water seems inhumane to some .. lets outlaw that also. Don't start that snow ball rolling.

Since the Robo was invented the population of ducks has gone up, not declined. Nearly every species is above the LTA, some at the highest numbers since data was first collected in 1955.

Please don't promote regulations that prevent others from hunting in a way that's different than you choose to hunt.
If there is a method or tool being used that puts the population at risk, is a safety issue, or threatens non-target species, then a restriction may be justified.
Otherwise, keep to the science of game management.

Probably the best points made on this topic that I've seen. Well said.

I'm trying to find out if anyone agrees with me that its the juvenile birds that are falling for the robo etc..regulations can be set by the Feds or State and the average Joe is not going to have any say in the matter.

I myself would love to see duck season in Texas be from 2 Sunday of Nov - to 2nd Sunday of Feb.But I know they will never do it.

For what it's worth , we killed 1 bluewing teal the entire season.

I guess when we get put back on the point system then we will understand the effects of a the mechanical contraptions.

I have not seen a large percentage of young birds falling for it. I'd be curious to see what others have to say. But more importantly like was already said regulations are set based on science not on speculation. Since numbers are up even in the age of the spinner there won't be any change restricting its use. If we have big decline in population I'm sure that will be one of the things up for debate whether rightfully so or not. How often have you used them? What percentage of juveniles have you shot over them?


So would most folks but the framework is set by the feds, the state's hands are tied. It's based on the theory that hunting later in the year has an affect on pair bonding which would have a substantial negative impact on next year's numbers.


If you are talking about early teal it was rough for most folks. The big push didn't show up until after it was over thanks to the late spring last year. During the youth season in late October in North TX and all the way up to the Dakotas they were as thick as you'd normally see in September.


We would understand the effects of spinners before a point system was reintroduced. Counts and conditions are released continually, nothing is gonna be a surprise. Nesting conditions are a much bigger part of the equation compared to the use of spinners.

We hunted in South Dakota for 5 days in Mid-October and more than half of the ducks we killed were blue wing teal.

I use them when I think they are effective, and worth the trouble. They are not always effective, and normally not worth the trouble to mess with. For you guys that have the old ones, you should throw them in the garbage can and get the new ones with magnetic wings, they are sweet, and when they run it sounds just like a duck hovering over a spread.

I think they are most effective at first light, and also when new birds move into a new area. Juvenile birds decoy easier, whether you are using a mojo or not. But I have seen mojo work on greenheads late season, late morning and blue bird day.

My thoughts exactly

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